


Everything Happens for a Reason

by mac_andcheeses



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:15:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26017885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mac_andcheeses/pseuds/mac_andcheeses
Summary: A series of one-shots (non-chronological order) that follow the ups and downs of Jo and Alex's future family.
Relationships: Alex Karev & Jo Wilson Karev, Alex Karev/Jo Wilson Karev
Comments: 15
Kudos: 63





	1. (2019) Honeymoon Take 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zola helps Jo and Alex come to a shocking revelation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys - sorry not a new fic but just a repost of this first chapter! Accidentally selected the wrong settings the first time around so just updating it to how it should be
> 
> \+ (whilst no actual words have been formed on paper) I have planned out the next twenty years of events that would follow this chapter in my head and so maybe tomorrow or maybe next year but eventually this story might get an update - we'll see

"Thank you again for watching them. The nanny is away this week and Maggie's shift doesn't end for another ten hours" Meredith says to the couple who have already made themselves at home on the living room couch. 

"Yeah yeah it's fine but you know this means you owe us a honeymoon" Alex responds in a teasing tone but was quickly cut off by a loud crash upstairs, followed by Ellis' cries and Zola's attention grabbing stomps down the stairs until she stood arms crossed in front of her aunt and uncle. 

Meredith, who hopped down the hallway one footed using her second hand to slip on her missing shoe, sighed a disappointing sigh in Zola's direction before turning to Alex "if you can get the sisters from hell to get along before I get back then I won't just replace your weekend trip but I'll buy you an entire mountain." 

Five weeks after their Halloween wedding, Jo and Alex were just about to leave to the airport for their well deserved three days of winter wonderland when Meredith had called and begged them to come babysit. Jo thought the idea of another honeymoon was ridiculous but Alex had soon convinced her to go along with it when he suggested they passed on the typical beach holiday and go snowboarding instead. 

"We planned to go ice skating too so a frozen lake would be ideal if you want to add that to the list" smirks Jo from her spot next to Alex on the couch.

"Plus we're willing to come sit on your couch all day watching Disney films, eating pizza and occasionally checking to make sure all three children are alive but we're not miracle workers and so your kids might just be stuck like this" adds Alex as he extends an arm to cuddle his wife already snoozing off next to him "

"Ellis is the one that needs fixing" mumbles Zola as she strolls fully into the room from her spot in the hallway to dramatically fall onto the beanbag lined up perfectly with the television. 

After receiving quick daggers from her mother and a "that's enough out of you", Zola mumbles an apology to Meredith who now has her keys in hands to walk out the door and arms extended to hug the little girl goodbye. "Seriously Zo, I know I promised you a mommy night but you know how transplant cases work - this lady's been waiting for this day since before you were born. I'm sorry but I will be home before you wake up in the morning and then we still have all of tomorrow to do everything you wanted, just as long as you're good for Jo and Alex and don't wind your siblings up!" 

Zola nods and gives an understanding smile. She truly did understand why her mum had to leave but she was just sick of Ellis playing with all her stuff. Besides she liked when Jo and Alex babysat because they let her do whatever she wants. So after reassuring her mother she will behave, she shares a sneaky grin with her uncle who has been enjoying the mother daughter exchange from a far. Alex loved all three of Meredith kids more than he knew was possible but he had a sweet spot for Zola. 

So with Meredith eventually finding the last of her things and out of the door, Zola made herself comfy back on the beanbag chair with her little brother Bailey laying upside down on an identical one to her left. Jo, having spent all night packing for a snowboarding trip with plans to sleep on the flight, lay stretched out along the couch with her head on Alex's lap drifting in and out of consciousness. With Ellis squeezed into a tight spot behind her head cuddling both her aunt and uncle, Jo's hair held about a quarter of the popcorn once in the young girls bowl. 

Jo had been feeling more tired than usual lately but put it down to the extra stress with Alex transferring back from Pac North to Grey Sloan after Meredith's trial. She hadn't felt the effects of the long shifts she was pulling this bad since her intern-year. To be completely honest, as much fun as snowboarding would have been, she had been sort of relived this morning when Meredith asked them to babysit because she wasn't convinced she wouldn't fall asleep cliff-side. So when the third movie came to a end and he was all out of popcorn to refill the kids empty bowls with, Alex took all three kids into the kitchen in the far too optimistic attempt to cook dinner himself, with three helpers of course. He hoped that the noise break would allow Jo to catch up on all the sleep she's been missing. He had been really worried about her lately, nervous that she was going to be so sleep deprived and overworked that she could relapse. But he knew not to say anything - nothing good ever comes out of saying anything to her.. But he knew she knew. The warm smile and affectionate kiss cheek she gives when he forces her to move from the couch to their bed every night when she's drifting off at the tv tells him she cares. After all, Alex was a master now at speaking Jo. 

An hour had passed and Alex had successfully burnt every ingredient Meredith had left in the house, resorting to what everyone had ultimately known they'd be eating for dinner from the get go - delivery Pizza from the same place Alex had been getting it from since he was giving nurses syphilis. In fact, it's been many years but he still has to put Meredith's name on the order instead of his own because the owner has never forgiven him for giving three of his delivery drivers syphilis. 

Walking over to wake up his wife with the announcement of her favorite comfort dinner - a classic margherita pizza - Alex took a step backwards just as he rounded the corner and almost bumped right into Jo as she ran in the direction of the bathroom, hand clasped over mouth. Immediately concerned, Alex chased after her and his heart sunk as he watched her spill the minimum foods he'd seen her eat recently into the toilet bowl she hunched over. Jo felt Alex's comforting hand rubbing in circles on her back with the other one holding back her long dark locks. As Jo felt some of the nausea subside, she pulled herself into a seating position on the cold tile floor, hand still clasping her mouth incase of further urges to vomit last weeks food as well as this weeks. 

"Don't move" Alex told her, hand framing her pale face as he leaned in to kiss her forehead, before he exited the room. Jo could hear him from afar handing out pizza to the three kids and setting them up back in the lounge to re-watch one of the very same movie they'd watched that day. A minute or so later Alex returned with a blanket to wrap round Jo's shivering shoulders, a couple of saltines and a damp hand towel that he began dabbing on her clammy face. 

"Do you think a ginger ale would do you good? Alex asked softly whilst continue to pat her with cloth. A small nod accepts his offer in which Alex returns with less than 3 seconds later. 

"It's a good thing we weren't on a flight right now" Alex joked to try and make light of the situation, feeling very proud with himself when he saw the smile he got in response. 

"Yeah, well there's the mile high club, but what's it called if your husband just holds his wife's head back as she pukes for an hour." Jo joined the joke thinking about the situation they avoided 

"Marriage" Alex jokes back in order to lighten the mood

"Uncle Alex! Come sit with us!" boomed Baileys voice from the other room. Alex met Jos eyes which encouraged him to go be with them. 

"You're really not hungry?" Alex doubled checked with Jo before leaving the room to join the kiddos. Jo soon trailing behind, nose scrunched up at the smell of the pizza and mess of popcorn all over the floor. 

"Thanks for looking after me" she spoke softly to Alex has she regained her new position on the couch. 

"It's my job" stated Alex in a rather positive sing-song voice but in person he was even more worried about her now. 

It was nearing 9.00pm and Alex had just finished tucking Ellis and Bailey into bed and was looking forward to enjoying the quiet night left to come with just him and his wife. Of course, Zola had other plans. He walked down the stairs and was greeted with Jo, completely wide awake and looking 100 times better than before, playing connect four with the youngster. 

Obviously having gotten her appetite back, Jo crammed slices of pizza into her mouth with her spare hand, whilst using the other hand to drop her colored counters into the game. 

"You look like you're feeling much better" Alex nods his head softy at Jo and brought her into a side hug as he sat down on the couch next to her. She didn’t respond but as she leaned in for a kiss, Alex felt a rush of relief inside as he realized she was going to be okay.

He did, however, pull away from the kiss with a rather confused impression on his face. "Are you eating Ellis' leftover Hawaiian pizza…" he said as he rose an eyebrow. 

Zola spoke on behalf of Jo with particular annoyance to her tone "Yep! And mine and Baileys…also I win" Jo looked down at the row of red counters Zola had formed in front of her, before busting out laughing. 

Suddenly Alex started to worry again "I think we should go to the doctor" he told Jo but was met with a mocking laugh- "WE ARE doctors Alex…besides Zola here claims she's never been wrong about a diagnosis so I thought we may as well get our opinion from the best." 

Alex tried to muffle his laughter as he thought about little Zola, the baby he would once visit in her hospital crib whenever he had a bad day during his residency, being the doctor herself. However in an attempt to humor the young girl he stared at her down and put on the most serious voice he could muster up. "Okay Doctor Grey Shepherd. What is wrong with my lovely wife" 

"Well, fatigue and nausea - those are pretty basic symptoms but throwing up could be food poisoning or the flu but I think both are unlikely since aunty Jo doesn't have a temperature ." Zola rambled out without taking a breath and continued before allowing either Alex or Jo a chance to respond "It's possible it's a migraine but I also don’t think it's that because it's lasted too long. So based on the constant fatigue and nausea which has lasted longer than ten days, plus last weekend when we were at the vegetable market you needed to go to the bathroom every 5 minutes, AND the completely obvious cravings you're having because you just ate 4 slices of Hawaiian pizza that you usually claim is disgusting, then I'd say she's just pregnant." Zola stated confidently with a smug look on her face. 

Her aunt and uncle however, were less calm. Jo coughed as she felt herself choke on the bite of pizza she still had in her mouth and Alex spat his latest sip of drink onto the blanket he was wrapped in. Zola, unimpressed with this responses, continued to offer her medical expertise to her aunty, "Do you have tender breasts?" 

The latest question was met with hysterical laughter from Alex who couldn’t even comprehend what words little Zola has just asked his wife. Deciding to put a stop to it he stood up to send the young girl up to bed with her brother and sister. "Okay Zo Zo you've had your fun, time for bed now." 

But Zola wasn't joking, rolling her eyes at her uncles dismissal of her diagnosis as she walked towards the stairs to upstairs. "You're going to be a really good dad uncle Alex and Jo too, she gives such good cuddles when I'm feeling sick. She'd be an awesome mom" the young girl said smiling back at the two adults in the living room before disappearing upstairs to bed. 

Alex continued to chuckle at the events that just unfolded, turning back to his wife to make a joke about it when he suddenly stopped laughing. She wasn't laughing like he was and looked anxious about something, suddenly worrying him. "Jo, talk to me, what's wrong. Sorry I was so wrapped up in Zola I didn’t notice you seemed upset. Are you okay?" 

She turned to him slowly and nodded in his direction to reassure him that she was good. "um yeah, no I'm good. Don’t worry.. It's just." she paused not quite knowing what do say "what Zola was saying, it made me realise that um… I'm late Alex." 

Alex, who had started cleaning up the pizza boxes, suddenly dropped everything in his arms on the floor in complete surprise and shock. "What….?" he inquired again in an attempt to confirm what he was already thinking 

"I hadn’t even noticed but the last time I had my period was the week before the second wedding… that was six weeks ago. I'm late." Jo said a little louder and faster this time, indicating to Alex that she was starting to panic. 

"Hey breath it's okay. This is okay, you don’t need to panic Jo - look at me." Alex says reaching his hand to move the hand out of her face so he can look into her eyes. "Didn't you hear Zola" he said chuckling slightly out of nervousness "we are going to be such awesome parents one day and I don’t care if its nine months from now or nine years from now, as long as it's with you. I will always be there for you no matter what, and we can make Meredith babysit all the time like she makes us." 

Jo wipes a few stray tears off her cheek before starting to laugh slightly herself and smile brightly back at Alex. "I think this is probably Karma for my joke at the wedding" 

"Oh no it most definitely is. You're fully to blame." Alex added as he took her hand in his continuing to laugh at the entire situation. 

"How long do these ones take?" Alex yelled through the bathroom door anxious to know the results. 

"Keep your voices down, the kids are asleep." Jo hissed opening up the door with five pregnancy tests in hand. Alex had run out to the 7/11 round the corner to buy one of each brand of pregnancy test they had in stock and insisted Jo take every single one, just to be sure. 

"Not anymore." mumbled a half asleep Zola as she walked down the hallway towards them, stopping when she realized what Jo was holding. She had seen a pregnancy test when her aunt Amelia first announced that she was pregnant so recognised the objects straight away. Her annoyance quickly changing to curiously, Zola smirked at Jo and Alex "so… am I getting a cousin or what" 

Jo wasn't sure exactly how to react to the Zola's entrance into the already tense environment, but decided to roll with it. Afterall, it was her who made her realise the possibility of her being pregnant in the first place. "Why don’t you take a look and tell us for yourself Doctor Grey Shepherd." Jo said handing over all five sticks. 

"So the four skinnier ones will have one line if Jo is not pregnant and two lines if she is pregnant. The fatter stick will just say inside the small screen pregnant or not pregnant. Do you understand?" Alex explained. 

Zola took all five in her hands, turning them one by one to reveal each individual result. For a such a small child Zola had quite the poker face and was not giving anything on about what they said. Looking up to stare back at her aunt and uncle she just smiled "so how do you want to do this?" 

Alex reached for Jo's hand to pull her close and hug her tight before turning to Zola to give her the go ahead. "Take it away Zo" 

Zola suddenly smirked at the nervous pair before her "well, like I said, I've never been wrong about a diagnosis." 

Both Alex and Jo let out a breath neither realized they were holding and suddenly both were crying tears of happiness and nervousness. 

"I love you so much" Alex told Jo before reaching his hand down to her abdomen to softly hold "and I'm going to love this baby." 

"We should probably start looking for somewhere else to live." Jo choked out with laughter in between the tears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My first fan fiction! I can't make any promises that I will update regularly but that's why I went with a collection of one-shots instead of a multi-fic
> 
> Hope you enjoyed <3  
> Mac x


	2. (2020) Madeleine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SECOND INSTALMENT OF Every Thing Happens for a Reason: (2020) The birth of Maddy Karev 
> 
> Of course Jo would go in labour inside of an elevator during a power shortage! The small hiccup causes some panic between both Jo and Alex as they realise they are not going to get out in time, but luckily Maddy is born happy and healthy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a wee update to this fic from a couple of months back - this one is set in the present and follows the birth of the baby Jo and Alex found out they were pregnant with in the previous chapter! 
> 
> If you know me then you know that my brain is absolutely fried which is why proof-reading is an almost impossible task - so apologies if this is a bit of a shit show. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy x  
> Mac

The last few months had been chaotic to say the least, but exciting nonetheless. The morning after Jo and Alex found out they were pregnant - combined with the extra stress of bribing Zola to keep it quiet ( _attempts that undoubtedly failed given that Meredith knew by the end of the day_ ) - all either of them could think about was moving out of the loft and into their own house. Yet when the house search came up empty and Alex decided to take a note out of Derek's books and build Jo their dream family home, neither of them expected to be six months down the line and living in Meredith’s house whilst their unpainted, windowless home was still being worked on. 

The expectant parents were eager for all the changes their life was about to throw at them but no one was more eager to have their baby than Jo. She had been struggling to sleep in a comfortable position since she hit the halfway mark and now, at eight and a half months pregnant, Jo was officially annoyed by her childs constant squirms, kicks and hiccups. Alex tried his hardest to comfort her but since Jo’s latest mood swings were aimed entirely at him for knocking her up in the first place, he had learnt that it was best to stay clear. 

Today however, Alex could tell something was bothering Jo. Something more than the odd kick in the ribs or braxton hicks contraction. He hadn’t thought too much of it at first, convinced that she was just tired and needed a good night's sleep, but when Owen had approached him on his lunch break concerned that Jo was overdoing herself it had sent Alex into panic. Which is why he now found himself scanning the hallways of Grey Sloan Memorial looking everywhere he could for the wife currently ignoring his pages. Near giving up on his search, Alex decided to check one last place in the hospital in the hopes to find Jo. That’s when he found her, standing in the dark tunnels where Alex used to eat lunch as an intern, bent over in pain with her hands gripped around the edge of the gurney below her - knuckles turning white. 

Rushed to her side within seconds but unsure whether she would appreciate him touching her at this moment, he went with a supportive hand on her back. “Jo, what’s wrong? Is everything okay with you and the baby?” he asked frantically but immediately regretted his tone as she raised her eyes to meet him and shooted him the death stare of the century. 

“What is wrong with me?” Jo spat as she straightened her back out and turned on her heels to face Alex who looked on confusingly. “What kind of stupid ass question is that Alex? I have peed five times in the past hour because your child thinks my bladder is a trampoline. I had to have a resident take over for me during a surgery today because the baby decided to kick me in the ribs TWICE and throw a couple of ridiculously painful braxton hicks my way - A RESIDENT ALEX!” 

Alex tried his hardest to hide the laughs slowly erupting inside him but the smirk did not go unnoticed by Jo, who was now huffing like a toddler throwing a tantrum and walking in the opposite direction towards the basement elevator. Alex, quick to chase after her, got her to stop as he took her hands in his before pulling her into a hug and placing a kiss on her forehead. “I’m sorry you feel shit Jo, I really really am. I’m not trying to make you more stressed but I’m just worried about you.” 

Jo started to realise that Alex’s concerns weren’t completely uncalled for but didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of admitting that. So instead she gave him a warm smile and went back in for another hug. “I know you are, but I’m okay, baby is okay, everyone is okay. You don’t need to worry” she said in an attempt to reassure him. 

“You have no idea how much I love you Josephine karev” Alex stared longingly into the eyes of his gorgeous wife. 

“I love you more” Jo grinned back but was soon interrupted by the ding of the elevator beside them indicating that it had arrived. “I have another forty five minutes until I need to be somewhere, why don’t we go to the cafeteria to grab lunch?” she suggested with the hope that a calm conversation over some food would relax Alex’s nerves and get him off her back. 

Alex nodded in agreement as he stepped into the elevator, pushing the button to take them to the cafeteria. “That sounds perfect Jo.” 

*********

Having now eaten the entire cafeterias collection of salt and vinegar chips - Jo’s latest and most normal craving of the lot - Alex was satisfied that she was at least not going to starve to death. He knew Jo was still in pain because, despite efforts to hide it, she kept pausing and wincing through whatever it was the baby was doing. He wanted her to lie in bed and not leave until the kid eventually made an appearance but he knew forcing Jo into maternity leave before she was ready would only stress her out more than work itself. So instead he kept reminding himself that Jo wasn’t stupid and she would never put the baby in harms way, she was likely just experiencing the joys of third trimester practice contractions. 

The sound of Jo’s pager buzzing at her side brought their mini lunch date to an abrupt end. Alex decided to walk his wife at her consult but only a few seconds into their elevator journey the lift roared still. Now surrounded by nothing but the dimmed emergency light and a small hum, Jo and Alex were stranded. 

“Oh fuck” Jo said with a slightly anxious tone to her voice causing Alex to spin his head around to look at her. 

“What? I’m sure Meredith can take your consult instead of you Jo, it's fine. Elevators experience power shortages all the time so I don’t think we’ll be here long anyway” Alex said somewhat preoccupied as he searched for a signal on his phone. 

“No Alex you don’t understand” Jo huffed as she lent forward to grip the side of the elevator walls. “I didn’t want to admit it before but I don’t think I was having braxton hicks contractions… I think they were real. I’m in labour Alex - my water just broke.” 

Alex whipped his neck up to stare at his wife in search of any sign that she could be joking, but the wet stain down the scrub leg trousers and the puddle on the tiled floor below her told him otherwise. “Holy shit Jo what the hell?” he screamed in panic. 

“Jeez Alex that’s comforting” Jo said rolling her eyes back at the husband she now thought was a complete idiot. Jo was soon hit by the familiar yet way more intense pain of another contraction, letting out muffled growls as she rubbed her lower abdomen with her right hand and held her left hand out to Alex in a plea for him to hold it and comfort her. 

Having taken the hint, Alex moved into Jo’s embrace. “Breath in and out Jo it’s okay, it’s better than okay - we’re going to have a baby” he beamed whilst simultaneously trying to assess the situation. 

“Yeah in the freaking hospital elevator ALEX!” Jo was unimpressed by Alex’s optimism and did not appreciate how calm he was. 

“It’s perfect Jo. Maybe not ideal but it’s us - we were kidding ourselves if we thought we could get away with the birth of our child without a small road bump like this. Alex waited for Jo to react but she ignored him as she swayed back and forth to the contractions that came on one after another. “Let’s sit down Jo, please. I need to examine you” 

Succumbing to Alex’s desperate pleas, Jo lowered herself onto the ground and dragged the lab coat Alex had laid out on the floor towards herself so she could shove it under her back. Alex tugged on her scrub trousers with one hand whilst the other hand gave Jo a comforting squeeze. “Wow, um okay” Alex gasped. 

“What Alex? You can’t just say things like that, what’s wrong?” Jo was now saying through tears

“Okay listen to me Jo, baby must be eager to get out because you’re crowning. Baby’s coming now” Alex explained slowly and sympathetically as he saw Jo’s face sadden at the thought of them doing it all alone. “It’s on you now okay, I’ll be here to help but it’s important for you that you listen to your body and push whenever you feel it needs it.” 

“Oh go fuck yourself Alexander Karev, you want to swap places?” Jo let out between contractions. 

Alex was trying his hardest not to laugh at Jo’s bluntness. “Trust be babe, if I could I would, sadly that’s not quite how it works.” 

Jo responded with a grunt. “Typical” 

Alex started to coach Jo through her breathing when he was interrupted by loud banging on the outside of the elevator. “Karev? Are you in there?” he heard Bailey screaming from above. 

“Bailey! What’s going on? We’re stuck!” Alex turned his attention to the voices above whilst still trying to support Jo as she winced through each contraction. 

“I know I know Alex there was a problem with the security systems and the elevator was shut down by accident but we’re working on getting it up and moving now. It shouldn’t be longer than an hour or so” Bailey encouraged. 

Jo began to laugh nervously, eyes still squished shut in pain. “Time isn’t exactly on our side right now Chief!” 

“Jo? Is that you?” Merediths voice joined the collection of voices from above. 

“Yeah it’s both of us Mer, me and Jo” Alex confirmed. “We need to get out of here fast or at least get some supplies down to us because Jo’s about ten minutes away from giving birth of the elevator floor.” 

“She’s in labour?” questioned another voice that Alex recognised as Ben Warren, however Baileys voice boomed louder over the top. “The elevator is stuck between floors so we can’t get anything to you right now but we’re working as fast as we can Karev, just… just keep us updated and we’ll do our best to get to you soon.” 

Alex felt a bit more comfortable knowing the fire department had arrived but could tell by Bailey’s words that they likely weren’t going to get them out in time. 

Jo threw her head backwards and yelled some rather colourful insults Alex’s way before suddenly announcing the need to push. “They’re coming Alex, I feel like I can’t control it anymore.” 

“Okay just tell me when you’re ready and I’ll count for you” Alex smiled back in an attempt to not to let her see how scared he really was. He watched his wife and couldn't believe it - he was about to be a father. 

Less than five minutes later and the elevator was filled with the loud cries of Alex and Jo’s baby. Alex lowered Jo’s scrub top to place the small child chest-to-chest in their mother's arms before removing his shoelace to tie around the umbilical cord. As he looked back at Jo holding their baby across her chest, he felt a rush of relief that everything was okay. 

“I told you she was a girl” Jo smirked from her place on the floor. 

“Next one is a boy I’m telling you” Alex grinned back. 

  
  


*********

It had now been a couple of hours since the elevator roared back to life and Jo and baby were now both fast asleep in their hospital room in the Labour and Delivery unit. The only person who was not asleep was Alex - he was mesmerized by the little girl dozing in his arms. 

“Mommy knew you were a girl but I thought boy for sure” Alex teased at his daughter. “But I’m so happy she was right, I wanted you so much my princess.” 

“Madeleine” Alex heard Jo say sleepily from her bed, causing him to look at her confusingly. “You called her princess but I’ve officially decided... her name is Madeleine - Madeleine Brooke Karev” Jo clarified. 

Deciding on a name had been a bit of a stressful topic throughout Jo’s pregnancy so they’d ended up just agreeing that Jo could name the baby if it was a girl and Alex could name the baby if it was a boy. 

“I love it Jo” Alex smiled back at her with glee. “What do you think, Maddy? Do you like your name.” 

The tiniest gurgle sounded from the small baby he was holding but that was good enough for Alex. It was decided - Maddy was his daughter's name. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cheers for all the positive reviews last chapter! I really appreciate the support


	3. (2038) Graduation Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> THIRD INSTALMENT of Every Thing Happens for a Reason: (2038) Maddy and Charlie’s High School Graduation 
> 
> Eighteen years have gone by since Jo gave birth to Maddy in that elevator and now she is graduating high school alongside her sister Charlie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This series isn't in chronological order so this next fic is set eighteen years after the last! 
> 
> I'll say once again that as usual this has not been proof read because I've lost all ability to think and I'm incredibly lazy. However I seemed semi confident when writing it so I'll just trust that past me knew what she was doing! So yes there is more than likely going to be a fair bit of spelling errors but we can just ignore those ahaha
> 
> Anyways as always I hope you enjoy 
> 
> x Mac

Alex could not believe that the day had finally arrived… It was his daughter's graduation day. Balancing five year old Xander on his hips as he rounded the corner of the house he’d built for him and Jo over eighteen years ago, Alex stopped in his tracks when he heard the two graduates bickering inside their shared bedroom. He peeked inside the doorway expecting to see both girls still laying under the covers of their beds. Neither Charlie or Maddy were morning people, which is why Alex was shocked when he saw the two of them already dressed and ready for the day, one sitting in front of the other as Maddy straightened her older sister's hair. 

Maddy was the spitting image of her mother. Her thick brown locks fell and rested on the spaghetti straps of her floral jumpsuit. Her hair had always had a natural wave to it but today she had added some extra curls that made her hair bounce up and sit at her shoulder. The shorter hair was a new hairstyle inspired by an old photo of Jo during her residency that Maddy had found whilst packing for her summer internship last week. However in her modest attempt to keep it a bit more subtle, Maddy had opted out of the blonder highlights Jo had embraced almost twenty years beforehand. 

That was the thing about Maddy, she was obsessed with maintaining a perfect goody two shoes image. She had spent her senior year building up her college application until she was confident she could get into any school in the country. So far it consisted of class president, head cheerleader, school librarian, national spelling bee champion, lead actress in every school production since kindergarten, and much, much more. Alex sometimes felt as if he was raising a mini Kepner but was equally grateful that he never had to deal with her getting into trouble. Still, he will never understand how any child of his and Jo’s could be such a teachers pet. 

Charlie on the other hand was so much like Alex that it scared him. That kid punched an attitude and wasn’t afraid of a fight, giving both him and Jo a run for their money if they dared upset her. The one thing she definitely shared with him was her tendency to push people away and act out just for the sake of acting out. Charlie was incredibly intelligent, one might even say she was smarter than Maddy (although Alex would never admit that outloud), and yet just two months ago he and Jo weren’t confident she would even graduate. 

She had always been a bit more a ‘social butterfly’ than her sister in that she was almost always getting piss drunk every Friday and Saturday night. Alex and Jo didn't really mind that much as long as she made it back before curfew but there had been a few occasions where she was late. Alex had been leaving the house for an early shift when he’d found her climbing through her bedroom window, a half eaten burrito in hand, and one less shoe than she’d had on when she left. It took him everything to not crack a laugh when she tried the “I’m totally and completely sober dad” line on him. However, despite the odd grounding, Charlie hadn’t caused any major problems until about half way through her senior year when it was discovered that she had been skipping class and failing to hand in assignments. 

Her rocky start to life had already set her back a year in school so it was not ideal that she was possibly going to be set back again, prompting Charlie to kick her butt into gear. For the final few months of senior year all Charlie did was study. She’d worked harder than her parents had ever seen before and it had successfully worked off because she was going to actually graduate alongside Maddy. 

Not a typical ‘girly-girl’ like Maddy but also would be seen dead without makeup, today Charlie was wearing a black midi silk dress that she had excitedly bought the week before shopping with Jo and Amber. Alex figured she must have lost a bet or something because it wasn’t like Charlie to straighten her hair, let alone let Maddy do it for her. She naturally had very curly hair, possibly the most curly hair Alex had ever seen. It was what had caught his eye the first time he’d ever met her. Charlie was wrapped in Jo’s arm sitting on a gurney in the ER giggling uncontrollably. She was telling jokes with a smile that stretched ear to ear and yet her tear stained cheeks, combined with the sympathy glares she was receiving from the social worker who stood next to her, told Alex everything he needed to know about her. She was his blue eyed, freckled face daughter with an unruly head of vibrant red curls. 

Charlie begged Jo to straighten her hair every single day for the first few weeks after she’d moved in with them. She told them that it was because she’d never had it done before but both Alex and Jo knew that it was really because she wanted to look more like Maddy. It’s funny actually because if you lined up all five kids in a line you’d never be able to guess who was adopted and who wasn’t, especially since Charlie had gone blonde for her senior year. Her biological little brother Xander had the darker hair and olive skin tones to match Maddy and Holly, whereas Charlie’s fairer features matched Elsie’s. 

Ah Elsie, or Worm as Alex had always called her. She was the one baby that Alex and Jo had truly planned for, earning the name wiggleworm after a few too many changing table incidents. Alex had heard many complaints from her about the nickname as she grew older but had zero intentions to stop calling using it yet. 

She, like Charlie, scared Alex but for entirely different reasons. She was the loudest and most opinionated twelve year old on the planet, definitely taking on more of Jo’s feisty yet determined attitude. Brooke and Monty, Link and Amelia’s twins who were born less than a year after Elsie, got a puppy for their birthday recently. Unfortunately for Jo and Alex, that is now all that they hear about, so much so that they’ve had to put a ban on the subject entirely. Elsie still found a way to annoy her parents over the topic though, crawling into bed with them one Sunday morning in the hopes that if she spoke to them before waffle brunch that they’d be in a good mood. They weren’t but that didn’t matter because she still got exactly what she wanted because, in a state of hunger, tiredness and annoyance, Alex had made the worst possible mistake of his life and told his daughter that she could have any animal she wanted as long as she paid for it herself. It would be an understatement to say Jo was mad at Alex after that, especially now that the twelve year was only two weeks away from saving enough from her paper route job to buy a dog herself. Alex suddenly felt bittersweet as he realised that it’ll be her turn to graduate next. Maybe not for another six years or so but things like that had a tendency to creep up on you and Alex wasn’t ready to say goodbye to another one of his babies. 

“I thought you said you were going to get him dressed?” Jo questioned Alex as she too rounded the corner to come face to face with him still holding Xander who was in last night's pyjamas. Alex, still lost in his thoughts, missed his wifes questions. So Jo did what Jo did best and after a few frustrated waves of the arms later, picked up the closest item she could find and sent it flying at Alex’s head. 

“Ow what the hell Jo!” Alex yelled as he lent down to the ground to investigate whatever item had just hit him, soon discovering that it had been a rubber duck bath toy. “What on earth was that for?” 

“Well Alex, ten minutes ago my very kind husband of mine promised me he would take care of getting the five year old dressed for the day so I could get ready myself - only to find that neither husband nor child are dressed but are instead standing like statues staring at god knows what.” Jo rolled her eyes at the blank look Alex was still giving her in response. “Ah forget it, I can do it myself. Come on Xander baby, mommy is going to help you get dressed.” 

Wiggling out of his dad’s arms, Xander skipped excitedly towards Jo. “I really was going to do it Jo” said Alex in an attempt to cheer up his clearly anxious wife. 

“Sure you were Alex and I’m the queen of England” Jo yelled back. 

Alex was just about to respond when he heard the sarcastic tone of one Charlie Karev instead who had just caught the end of the exchange between her parents. “Really mom? You could have told me that sooner, I would have sprung to wear my nice tiara today instead.” 

“Shut up Charlotte.” Alex, Jo and Maddy all groaned at once. 

*********

“Okay everybody gather round for pictures!” Meredith yelled to get the attention of all the party goers gathered in Jo and Alex’s backyard. 

“Seriously Auntie Mer? We already took pictures at my house, more pictures at your house and now you want some here too?” a very unimpressed Scout asked. At eighteen years old he was the exact same age as Maddy and so was graduating today as well. That’s about all they had in common though as Maddy tended to get on better with Scout's seventeen year old sister Gracie, while on the other hand he and Charlie were inseparable. 

“Not with the Karevs we haven’t” 

The Karevs. It made Jo’s hair stick out on the back of her neck, it was just such a typical cheesy family thing. She honestly never thought she’d see the day that someone would refer to her family as ‘the Karevs’. Yet the sight of her small herd of children racing towards their auntie at the mention of their names made her realise how lucky she was to be a Karev. 

“Mer is right, we should get some photographs in quickly before Xander or Holly get their clothes dirty” Alex said, giving Jo a slight fright as he wrapped his arms around her from behind. 

“Mmmm good idea” She mumbled back but her focus was really still on her kids who were laughing in the distance. “First I want to enjoy this moment of my children actually getting along for once. It’s such a rare occurrence” 

Alex chuckled but joined Jo in admiring the kids. They may drive them crazy ninety nine percent of the time but in that one percent of the time when they aren’t, Alex had to pinch himself to triple check he wasn’t dreaming. However it quickly became apparent that today was not that one percent of the time as fights soon broke out. 

“You’re so mean Holly” Xander spat as he stormed past his parents into the house. 

“Me? What did I do? It was Worm who called you an idiot” Holly defended. 

“STOP CALLING ME WORM, HOLLY!” Elsie replied angrily as she also stormed into the house to join her brother. 

“Great thanks Holly, now we’ve lost her too” Charlie teased her youngest sister which earned her a glare from Maddy. 

“Why do you always blame me for everything Charlie” Holly whimpered as she started to cry. 

Maddy rolled her eyes unimpressed by the emotional fall out that was happening. “Was that necessary Charlie? Now she’s crying” 

Luckily Alex intervened before Charlie and Maddy went completely at each other's throats. “We haven’t lost anybody so let’s not get dramatic right now Charlie. Holly cut it out and quit it with tears. Anybody else cries today and they lose technology privileges for a week. Now, Maddy and Charlie, why don’t you go take some photographs with Scout to celebrate the three graduates and then I’ll go get the others from inside so we can take a family picture.” 

“Fine, whatever” both teenage girls huffed in unison. 

“Ah it was nice while it lasted” Jo said, walking back up behind Alex to rejoin their hug, fingers entwined in one anothers. 

“You get Worm and I get Xander” Alex offered but it only earnt him a laugh from Jo in response. “What?” 

“No way are you getting Xander, he’s the easiest one. No you get to go get Elsie.” 

“Fine” Alex mumbled back somewhat disappointed. Worm was a hard one to crack and so he was in for a challenge. 

*********

Alex grinned widely as he took in the two high school diplomas that were now framed in the same hallway that he stood in that morning. 

It was quarter to midnight and everyone had gone to bed, more specifically, everyone had gone to his bed. The graduation celebrations had come to an end a good few hours beforehand and the entire Karev family had piled into the master bedroom to watch a film together. Of course every single one of them fell asleep before the movie had even finished though, prompting Alex to get out of bed and fetch the two diplomas from downstairs to put on display whilst no one was around to object. 

Taking a step back from the wall to look his DIY job over and ensure the frames were level, Alex felt himself holding back tears as he read the names on them. 

Madeleine Brooke Karev

Charlotte Christina Karev 

It was still so unbelievable to him that he had any kids at all, let alone two teenage girls who had just graduated high school. 

The sound of the floorboard creaking made him whip his head around to look at his and Jo’s bedroom where his family were sleeping. Except he must have missed Jo waking up because she was now walking towards him with a ginormous smile on her face. Looking between his wife and the five kids snuggled together in their bed caused him to lose his fight. 

“Hey” she whispered quietly as she pulled him into her embrace and used her sleeve to wipe the tears on his cheeks. “I thought you said no one else was allowed to cry today.” she smirked. 

“Shut up” 

Alex felt Jo laugh slightly against his chest at his response. Pulling out of the hug momentarily to look at the additions to the wall, Jo chuckled once again. “Frames really? Do you really consider us diplomas on the wall type of family Alex?” 

“Of course we are Jo. It’s a miracle that any child of ours actually graduated high school on their first try. Sure I’m proud of Maddy and Charlie but this is for us. We’ve kicked some serious parenting ass.” 

“We really have done good” Jo smiled up at Alex before spinning to look at the bed behind her “although Maddy pretty much raised herself.” 

“I can’t disagree with you there. If she didn’t look so much like you then I would think we took home the wrong baby.” Alex said, earning himself a gasp and a smack across the chest from Jo. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies if this was a bit of a confusing change from my last one but I tried my best to introduce any new characters and establish their basic back story without giving too much away for future chapters. I have about ten fics planned that will be set in time we've just jumped over so those years will not be ignored :)


	4. (2030) Holly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Karevs decorate for Christmas and the newest addition to the family gets her name

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this chapter based on an ask I got on tumblr about Jo and Alex decorating for Christmas with their kids! I thought it was time I updated this fic so thought I might as well write it in this universe so hope you enjoy this newest instalment of Everything Happens for a Reason ♡ It's super fluffy because why not - also apologies for any spelling errors or anything, it's 2am and I wrote this in an hour. 
> 
> Enjoy x

For a lot of people, Christmas was one of the most exciting times of the year. It’s a time where families come together to celebrate as a whole and really enjoy each other's company. Sure it can be hectic, and almost always stressful, but it’s also a time for festivity. There’s music and snowball fights, visits to Santa's grottos, carolers, and movie nights. As well as sledding, lots and lots of presents, tree decorating, gingerbread houses, light displays, and ugly winter sweaters. It’s everything Alex had grown to love since his first holiday season with Jo, building new tradition after new tradition as each year went on. 

It hadn’t always been that way though, there was a time when Alex hadn’t shared people’s love of the holidays. Growing up, his dad had used Christmas as an excuse to drink even more than he usually did, meaning December just brought Alex more hardship than any other month of the year. More hours of abuse, more time spent coming up with excuses to his teachers at school, and more days where Alex would have to turn the music up loud in his room to distract his little sister Amber from whatever was going on in the lounge. His years in foster care had brought slightly better memories of Christmas better but there’s still not much magic to it all when you’re stuck in a state home shared with twenty other ‘troubled’ boys and your only gift is a twelve pack of socks and a new toothbrush. 

However, that all changed when he met Jo, especially when they welcomed little Maddy over ten years ago. She made Alex realise just how special Christmas truly was. She wasn’t his eldest child, that title belonged to Charlie, but Maddy was his first and she was what made him fall in love with all the things that people loved about the holidays. From the very first time he’d sat her on Santa's lap, the small baby staring up in awe mesmerised by the long white beard, he’d decided that christmas would forever revolve around his children. Alex vowed that his kids would never feel the same loneliness that he’d felt during December. 

It was this thinking that had contributed to the crazy array of twinkle lights currently wrapped around his house and draped along the gutters on the roof. Alex had had a rather long and emotionally draining day at the hospital – working pediatrics at Christmas time was tough – so walking along the cobblestone path toward his front door, he couldn’t wait to get inside of his home where he could hear music blasting. His daughter’s giggles could be heard from where he stood on the front porch, followed by his wifes equally as contagious laughter. Peeking through the window to the right, he could see Jo cradling their newborn daughter tight to her chest as she twirled four year old Elsie in ballerina spins. Their eldest two daughters, Charlie and Maddy, were stacking boxes of ornaments beside the undecorated tree in preparation for when Alex got home to help. 

Having caught her dad’s eyes in the thinly snowed covered window, Maddy excitedly sprung up from her position on the floor and ran towards him at the door. “Dad, you’re home! We’ve been waiting for you to decorate the christmas tree,” she wasted no time pulling Alex into her embrace. Within a few of seconds, both Charlie and Elsie had squeezed their way into the hug as well, forming a huddle of sorts. 

“Make room for baby sissy and mommy,” Jo grinned, joining in as well. 

“We really need to come up with a name for her, she can’t exactly be ‘baby sissy’ her whole life,” Alex chuckled, pulling out of the hug to put his belongings away in the coat cupboard. 

“I like it, dad. It’s short, to the point and fairly easy to spell,” Charlie joked, plonking down into her usual spot on the couch. 

“I still want to name her Madison,” Maddy sat beside Charlie, “then you’ll have a Madeleine and a Madison...what’s not to love?” 

“Um, everything about that…” Charlie scoffed. 

“Princess!” Elsie suggested, excited just to get a chance to speak within the chaos of her older sister's constant squabbles. 

“That’s the best idea I’ve heard yet,” Alex scooped the four year old off the ground, walking over to the couch to join the older two kids. “What do you think, Jo? We can have a Charlotte, Madeleine, Elsie and Princess.” 

“Hmmm, maybe we should think about it a little more,” Jo smiled, following behind with the baby still hugged against her. 

“So what’s this I hear about decorating the tree?” Alex pointed towards the stack of ornaments. 

“As soon as dinner’s done, and then we’re all going to decorate it together. The timer on the oven says about ten minutes so it shouldn’t be long now,” Jo walked towards their kitchen to the side of the living room. 

Alex sent a panicked look both Charlie and Maddy’s way, “oh no, mom’s cooked?” 

“Hey!” Jo pretended to sound offended, “I’m not that bad…” 

“Sure babe, you’re so good. So, so, so good that you almost set the house on fire last year cooking thanksgiving dinner,” Alex teased. 

“You are never going to let me live that down, are you?” Jo groaned. “Here,” she handed the baby over to Alex, “make yourself useful and hold her for me. I think she might need changing.” 

“Ew, that’s gross…” Elsie, who had followed her parents into the next room with them, piped up from the corner. 

***

“Look mom!” Maddy held up an ornament for Jo to see. “This says ‘baby’s first Christmas’ on it. Is this mine?” 

“It sure is,” Jo smiled back, “and the pink one in the box is Elsie’s one from when she was a baby and the purple one is the one Charlie picked out from the shop the year we adopted her.” 

“Let me see!” both Charlie and Elsie said in unison, making a beeline to the ornaments. 

“Why does mine have to be purple?” Charlie whined, inspecting the bauble closer. 

“Because that’s the one you liked at the time,” Jo shook her head playfully. “Believe it or not, you hadn’t sworn off all colours of the rainbow at that point.” 

“And no, you can’t paint it black,” Alex chimed in, earning himself a frustrated growl from his daughter. 

“Whatever,” Charlie muttered under her breath. 

“I like the colour of my one!” Maddy beamed. 

“Suck up,” Charlie poked her tongue out in response, unimpressed by her sister’s sing song attitude. 

“I can’t reach to put my one on the tree, daddy!” Elsie stood on her tiptoes, struggling to hand her pink bauble on the branches. 

“Let us help you, Elsie,” Maddy waved Charlie over to help lift up their younger sister. “Put your foot in our hands and push up with our shoulders,” she instructed. 

It was moments like this that Alex realised just how lucky he was for the family he’d been given. Untangling tinsel in the corner, he watched on as his ten and eleven year old daughters work together to hold their younger sister up high enough to hang up her oruanment on the tree. Beside them, sitting in a pile of cushions and blankets, Jo was sitting nursing the youngest little Karev, watching on at the three other children, equally as touched by the way they were interacting as Alex was. 

“It’s time for the tinsel now, dad!” Charlie broke Alex out of his trance. 

“There’s exactly five pieces, so why don’t we all grab a piece of tinsel each and wrap it around the tree?” Alex started handing out gold glitter tinsel to each one of his children, minus the baby who had just been placed in her bassinet, passing the final one to Jo. 

“That sounds wonderful,” Jo placed her lips to Alex’s, “good thinking. Why don’t we go in height order so we can all reach properly?” 

“That’s my cue to go then,” Alex spun the gold around the top of their messily decorated tree. Both him and Jo had given the kids free range with the ornaments, and well, you could definitely tell. “Momma’s turn now!” 

Jo carried on from where Alex’s piece of tinsel finished, wrapping her further down the tree. “All done, you’re up Charlie!” 

“I might need some help here…” Charlie waved Alex over for assistance. “Can you please hold the end of the tinsel when I throw it around from the back?” 

“Sure thing, darling. Go on!” Alex encouraged her. “Ah almost,” he said when she missed, “I need you to throw it a little harder, ah yep there we go.” 

“Do you need any help too, Maddy?” Jo offered. 

“Maybe a little, but only because I have such little dinosaur arms,” Maddy flailed her arms all about in example. “Now grab it now!” she said, throwing it around the tree, allowing Jo to catch from the other side. 

“Okay, Worm...It’s your turn now,” Alex picked up the tinsel from the on the floor, Elsie having already gotten distracted and dropped it, and placed it back in her hands. 

“I don’t need help because I’m a big girl,” Elsie said matter of factly, however was quickly proved wrong when the tinsel fell to the ground after all three of her attempts to hang it on the tree. 

“Are you sure you don’t want any help, Elsie?” Jo tried to speed the process along. 

“Maybe, just a little…” she replied sheepishly, in which she received help from both her siblings and her parents. 

“All we need to do now is plug the lights into the wall,” Alex grinned, excited for the last and final step – the best part of tree decorating. 

“Can I do it, dad?” Charlie asked, rushing over to the outlet the second she received the approving nod, shoving the plug into the wall. “Wow,” she beamed at the flashing lights in the living room. 

“Wow, indeed,” Alex almost got emotional standing there, in awe of the Christmas tree his family had just decorated all together. 

***

He’d woken up the next morning to all four of his children cuddled up in bed with himself and Jo. Charlie was holding her newborn baby sister, whom she was completely and utterly in love with, and Maddy and Elsie hugged close to Jo under the duvet. He doesn’t remember at what point in the early morning they’d all crawled in but he didn’t mind, not at all. He will never ever get sick of waking up beside his family, not when they’re as amazing as they are. 

“So what’s her name, guys?” Alex croaked out, still suffering from morning breath. “Baby sissy needs a name before Christmas so we can get her her own bauble for the tree.” 

“Christmas!” Elsie excitedly suggested, once again not quite hitting the mark. 

“Not quite, honey.” Alex ruffled her messy bed head. 

“Wait, maybe Christmas isn’t such a bad idea?” Jo looked at Alex. 

“Are you insane, Jo? Are you telling me that you actually want to have a Charlie, a Maddy, an Elsie and last but not least, Christmas...” 

“No, not Christmas. But something like Christmas. Like Noelle, Carol, Natalie, or Belle. 

“What about...Holly?” Charlie added to the list of suggestions, surprising both Alex and Jo as they immediately fell in love. 

“I love that, I really really do. What do you think Alex?” Jo leaned over to where Charlie was sitting, stroking the baby’s reddish cheeks. 

“Holly is perfect. Holly Karev.” 

And so that was it, Holly Karev – soon to be Holly Matilda Karev – was the name of the fourth Karev child. Named after the time of year which Alex and Jo had once hated, but had now grown to love through the memories they were now building together as a new family, Holly will forever be their Christmas baby. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for reading! All your comments mean so much. 
> 
> You can find me on tumblr at @mac-andcheeses


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